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Ursa Major

[ ur-suh mey-jer ]
/ ˈɜr sə ˈmeɪ dʒər /

noun, genitive Ur·sae Ma·jor·is [ur-see muh-jawr-is, -johr-] /ˈɜr si məˈdʒɔr ɪs, -ˈdʒoʊr-/. Astronomy.

the Great Bear, the most prominent northern constellation, containing the seven stars that form the Big Dipper.

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Origin of Ursa Major

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for ursa major

Ursa Major
/ (ˈɜːsə ˈmeɪdʒə) /

noun Latin genitive Ursae Majoris (ˈɜːsiː məˈdʒɔːrɪs)

an extensive conspicuous constellation in the N hemisphere, visible north of latitude 40°. The seven brightest stars form the Plough. A line through the two brightest stars points to the Pole Star lying in Ursa MinorAlso called: the Great Bear, the Bear

Word Origin for Ursa Major

Latin: greater bear
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Science definitions for ursa major

Ursa Major
[ ûr′sə ]

A constellation in the polar region of the Northern Hemisphere near Draco and Leo. Ursa Major (the Great Bear) contains the seven stars that form the Big Dipper.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Culture definitions for ursa major

Ursa Major
[ (ur-suh) ]

A constellation; the Great Bear. (See Big Dipper.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.